By William Markiewicz

While Gaza’s population follows one line against all odds, the West Bank resembles more the Western mode we’re accustomed to. While Hamas brings religion and ideology to the mass that obviously wants it, the West Bank is more like our democracy and democracy is the contrary of ideology. Each ideology has something of religion just as all religion has something of ideology and both have in common that they don’t tolerate deviation. Democracy is not ideology because democracy means freedom in which you choose ideology, religion or nothing. The West Bank population has its Christians, its seculars – with no obligation to follow a line. Democracy is an ideal we cherish and which the West Bank seems to achieve while the Gazans, soldiers of one truth, live a harsh, suffering and emotional life. To compare the Arab to Jewish society in the Middle East, Zionism developed two opposing lines: Irgun and Hagganah. We see something similar in Hamas and Al Fatah. We don’t know what the Western Powers have up their sleeve. If, for their own reasons, they don’t want Hamas to prevail, they will let Israel win in Gaza. If they succeed in softening Israel’s stance then Israel will end by giving back the Golan Heights to Syria and if it succeeds in making the settlers release the conquered Western Lands, we will have two states living side by side, finally in peace.

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William Markiewicz